What was your original plan and why was it important for your context?

Initially I had hoped to focus on whether there was a change in reading attitudes as children moved up the primary stages. This was important within my inclusion role as I work with mainly boys, the majority of whom have negative or ambivalent attitudes towards reading.  The Literacy trust’s 2009 survey found that 68.4% of boys aged 5-8 said they liked reading very much/quite a lot, compared to 83.9% of girls. Personally I consider reading as very much as a gateway towards learning and an integral part of a child’s development.

• What were the ups your enquiry? It’s important that we focus on the positives – what went well?

I was taken aback at how supportive colleagues were in agreeing to be interviewed in terms of their reading attitudes and how open and honest they were during their interviews. The depth of detail and richness of information was truly amazing. Even during the interviews, as I was taking notes, I was aware that certain phrases that were said really summed up effectively and supported what I was trying to achieve… in the long term to support children to develop positive reading habits.

• What were the downs of your enquiry? What bumps in the road did you come across and how did you attempt to adapt?

Covid was an issue due to home working and the extended closure of my inclusion base which meant I was unable to go ahead with my intended plan of action. I ended up discussing this problem with colleagues and during a drop in session and ended up deciding to explore the attitudes towards reading held by colleagues in inclusion instead.